<p>Now is the time to say thank you.
Gearing</a> Up for the Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary Celebration - Girl Scouts Alumnae Association</p>
<p>And if you are Catholic, to let your bishop know how you feel.
Girl</a> Scouts under scrutiny from Catholic bishops - CSMonitor.com</p>
<p>I was a girl scout through HS, as was my daughter, and then I was on the local board.</p>
<p>This…</p>
<p>“Some critics want the Girl Scouts of the USA to pull out of the world group;…” is not going to happen.</p>
<p>The purpose of the Girls Scouts is to empower girls. Apparently this is highly disturbing to some, both inside and outside the church.</p>
<p>I am proud to say that I was a Girl Scout from 2nd through 8th grade. I still have my badge sash, patrol leader cords and lots of great memories. I was also a GS leader for 3 years and loved it.</p>
<p>Girl Scouting is a wonderful organization for young women and I happily support it.</p>
<p>I was a Girl Scout. In the last three weeks I’ve had to teach three adult women how to make a square knot. Clearly, they were NOT scouts.</p>
<p>I AM a Girl Scout! Paid the lifetime membership dues when it was first offered in mid-80s. Led D1s troop for 12 years until they graduated last year, granted they weren’t too active the last 2 years except for selling cookies and a few service projects. (she’s also a lifetime scout) Still quite active at council level on a few board committees. </p>
<p>It’s a great organization that allows girls to be themselves and discover new things.</p>
<p>I was a girl scout. My twins that are entering 4th grade will be girl scouts. They attend a Catholic elementary that supports the girl scout troupes in our area. The other schools in the area do not have troupes so we host several troupes. If I find out that the girl scouts are sending any message about family planning or abortion, than I will pull them from this organization. I doubt that will happen but if it does we are out of there. Not because I am Catholic but because sex education is between me and my family. No organization should be educating my kids about sex or birth control. I hated it when schools try to do it too. My kids elementary school sends home information on their program. If I don’t like it, then I have the option to exclude my kids from the discussion. </p>
<p>I do not think Girl Scouts of America has any business discussing these issues. I am sure they have many other things to discuss.</p>
<p>The Planned Parenthood / GS issue is from 2010. I first came across the issue w WAGGGS last week when I read the article. Frankly, I view that as a cultural issue, given Europeans are far more comfortable discussing sex than Americans and don’t get too exercised. </p>
<p>The vast majority of GS in the US are aged 6-10 and most programing is offered at the troop level, so being involved with your daughter’s troop will be the best way to know what’s going on.</p>
<p>I was a Girl Scout, too. But I have only a son, and he is in Boy Scouts. It’s interesting that conservative groups are going after the Girls Scouts for trying to have an open discussion on sexuality, while the liberal groups are going after the Boy Scouts for considering homosexuality as morally wrong. We belong to a liberal church and one member family was openly shunned down south when their religion was revealed. Now that they live up north, they whisper in church about having their boys in scouts. Come one America! Let’s have a less divisiveness and more tolerance!</p>
<p>I was a Girl Scout for a few years. Don’t remember it much. It was at my Catholic elementary school. They’ve axed it in recent years due to pressure. </p>
<p>My best friend is an Eagle Scout and openly gay to everyone… except the boy scouts. It’s an issue he’s grappled with for years. Such a shame that he has to choose between going back in the closet and doing something he loves.</p>
<p>The Michigan Historical Society/Museum where I work had a month long tribute to the Girl Scouts. It was wonderful to see all the young girls come in and see the history that they’re now a part of.</p>
<p>I am a Lifetime Member of Girl Scouts. I was a Girl Scout for 10 years as a girl, and am on my 13th year as an adult. D1 has earned her Gold Award, and is a lifetime member. D2 is in high school, and will also continue. I train adults and girls on leadership, outdoor skills, and many other aspects of the program. </p>
<p>Girl Scouting’s core values are to develop young women of “courage, confidence and character who will make the world a better place.”</p>
<p>It is one of the most tolerant of all organizations for young women, and I am proud to be a member.</p>
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<p>Empowering and protecting young women? The HORROR! :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Young women DO need this kind of environment. It’s not available in schools. It’s not available in many families. It’s only really available among peers where there is all sorts of misinformation.</p>
<p>I was kicked out- I think in the 7th or 8th grade. I wanted to be in boy scouts instead. Some of the rules weren’t my thing…</p>
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<p>Girls Scouts is a secular organization. If parents aren’t ok with that, they have other organizations their children can join. If GS conflicts with your beliefs, don’t participate. But please don’t insist that the organization needs to conform to your own religious views. GS accepts many religions and IT’S NOT A RELIGIOUS organization. Some people just don’t get that.</p>
<p>MOWC --lol! But Boy Scout’s rules are A LOT stricter! But you probably couldn’t know that. Boys did have a lot more outdoor adventures than the girls, at least back in our day, so I can see the appeal.</p>
<p>I was a happy girl scout till the eighth grade. Our troop got a new leader who my mom graciously called a “badge fascist”. We would submit our work for badges and then she would critique us mercilessly till we were tearful blobs of green jelly. But I still love the scouts!</p>
<p>moon, they should join American Heritage Girls if they don’t like Girl Scout’s non-religious stance. Nothing wrong with either organization as long as the girls are there willingly.</p>
<p>MOWC- It wasn’t my thing either. Never got along great with girls. Wish I had known about co-ed things like Adventure Scouts when I was young.</p>
<p>I was a girl scout from 5th - 12th grade. We had a wonderful leader from 7th grade on which is why we all stayed. We redesigned our own uniform so that it was blue jeans. We did a lot of backpacking. Fall of the year we were seniors we all did a project for whatever the Gold Award was called then. We got all the Scouts in the entire DC area (boy and girl) to spend a day cleaning up the C and O canal. We got Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas who was known to be interested in the environment to pick up the first piece of trash which garnered us lots of publicity. And of course it made a great college essay. :D</p>
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<p>The Sierra Club? Pollination of forest trees is rampant in California or what?</p>
<p>Ours was too “craftsy” for me. We made lanyards and “sit upons”. My stepfather thought the sit-upons were hilarious and he would always say “Don’t **** upon your sit-upon!” I stuck with it because I liked going to the 2 week summer camp in the Poconos with my friends. (Camp Hidden Falls) Ahhh, the days…</p>